NZ pride on the line when Canes host Tahs

If you intend to have your happiness levels influenced by the outcome of Bledisloe Cup encounters over the next decade, there are two tasty duels in the next two rounds that cannot be missed.

In New Zealand next week, outstanding young Reds No. 7 Liam Gill will compete with Chiefs tackling machine Sam Cane, who also leads Super Rugby for turnovers.

And on Saturday the Waratahs' Michael Hooper will joust with the 19-year-old Hurricanes debutant, Ardie Savea. Four No. 7s with a whole range of talents, three already capped at Test level. Australia and New Zealand's unparalleled ability to keep churning out openside talent continues unabated.

Tackling machine: Sam Cane. Photo: Getty Images

The attention on Hooper this year has been microscopic. Pundits have opted for Gill or the returning George Smith when pushed for their hypothetical Australian teams, although Hooper's form can hardly be said to be suspect. It's more second-year paradox than syndrome. He is doing a lot of the things he did last year and with the same determination, but the impact has not been quite as great. Warier rivals are to blame for that.

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There was plenty of evidence against the Force last week. The Perth side, a few instances aside, did a good job of controlling the breakdown and retaining possession, and had clearly put a lot of focus on the post-tackle area.

The instant Hooper's eyes lit up in the anticipation of a turnover he was being hit by some pretty large frames. The clean-outs were targeted and often accurate. Force openside Matt Hodgson naturally played a role but it looked like the whole pack had been tasked with the job.

In the 52nd minute Pek Cowan, Heath Tessman, Hugh McMeniman and Toby Lynn all went smashing into Hooper as he tried to slow down a Force ruck. One minute later, McMeniman carried in tight and Force No. 8 Richard Brown was on hand to clean Hooper out just enough to force him to lie on the wrong side and give away a penalty. Hooper now has a sizeable target on his back commensurate with his talent.

Even in the 69th minute, when he did manufacture a turnover wider out after Rob Horne had tackled Sam Norton-Knight, the Force cavalry quickly arrived to steal it back off him, although there appeared to be an illegal hand belonging to Paddy Dellit that did so. Not that Hooper himself was born yesterday when it comes to pushing the boundaries. His breakdown effectiveness can correlate with how lenient the official is with the concept of players supporting their own body weight. Last week, Steve Walsh was forgiving.

Watching Savea, the younger brother of winger Julian, in the ITM Cup last year you were struck by his ubiquity. He was just as likely to be throwing an extravagant dummy and scoring a try as digging for the ball at the bottom of a pile of human wreckage. That probably says more about his athleticism than anything else. He has already played for the New Zealand Sevens side, and has the pace and skills to be a midfielder. In the future, some brave soul will probably put his name together with Michael Jones in the same sentence in an attempt to give him a label. In the here and now, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has already mentioned Savea as one they're keen on watching during Richie McCaw's holiday, even though he has yet to play a game of Super Rugby and has to address whether his frame can handle the physical battering.

The Waratahs have cause to be respectful rather than fearful of the hosts. Against the Southern Kings last week, the Hurricanes displayed some passages of sloppy play that Michael Cheika will have noted: being bundled over the touchline in possession, conceding a soft try from a lineout, taking the foot off the newcomers' throats. At this stage of their development, the Waratahs could be torn asunder by the likes of the Chiefs or Crusaders, but the looser Hurricanes might give them the opportunity to play. At the scrum, Benn Robinson will fancy his chances of getting underneath the tall Ben May. In the second row, the Waratahs will back their 120-kilogram-plus weapons.

But it will be the tussling No. 7s who will capture most of the attention. Have a sly wager on it being the start of an enduring rivalry.

Twitter: @whiskeycully

15 comments so far

Yep, tasty indeed !

Liam; who IMO has taken his game up a notch this season versus Cane; who as you state does loose the ball a bit in the tackle but is a dog with a bone when he can get to the ball at the break-down....... should be a contest for the purists.

As a Tahs supporter the contest between Hooper and the rookie Savea should also be a lip smackin, bone crunching affair as well. Don't know alot about young Savea but if he's in the Canes run-on side....then that's all I need to know ! Hooper came out on top (just) last week and is finding his way with his new herd of pigs.I have mixed feelings as to what result lays ahead but if the Tahs win this one it'll put their season thus far in a very good position.A win by the Tahs might even blow a bit of wind up @ heading off....funnier things have happen in the past !

Commenter

Machooka

Location

inner west sydney

Date and time

April 04, 2013, 5:53PM

Hate this fixtureI still think tahtahs are way overrated and full of pensioners and stars getting money under false pretencesAlso my mob were lucky to win and were hopeless and still found a way to score 5 tries. Sarcasm aside, they did let in soft tries and seem to play below standard when against teams lower in rankingsBut.......my tip, if canes forwards or canes in general get more than 40% of ball the backline will chew tahs up. Mitchell v Savea (hahaha), lucky for tahs we are missing a host of front line players incl a number of AB's at the top of their game (not wobblies past their use by date!)HA!

Commenter

headed off

Location

Villavicencio

Date and time

April 04, 2013, 7:27PM

Headed Off~Your Waratah assumption is of course correct and at the end of the day it gets down to them being~ Our boys, our boys mate, worry not my friend, they won't lose!

Commenter

kirky

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 9:31AM

The Tahs seem to be developing this habit of blaming opposing teams for stopping them from doing what they want to do or, heaven forbid, targeting some of their best players. Get real Tahs. You're not the only ones on the paddock.Hooper is a good, fearless, energetic 7. It's just that Gill can do everything Hooper can do and more.

Commenter

johnny-boy

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 7:40AM

JB~ And that's not counting the Kiwi and South African 'open siders' of which there is an abundance of in the said climes!

Commenter

kirky

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 9:35AM

Hooper is one of the few Tahs working well with the Tahs gameplan of low/no commitment to the rucks. He spots his opportunities and snatches some great ball, while still being all around the park. Our front row has started to pick its game up, but the second rowers are not adapting to this playstyle and need a swift kick up the date. They're regularly found standing back from the ruck when the opposition counter-rucks at an opportune time, resulting in a turn over.

Smith is undisputibly the master of the pilfer, but he's never been an impact player to come on late in the game, so a bench slot doesn't suit him. Given age, his fitness for a full 80 mins against the Lions would be questionable. He clincally destroyed the Tahs rucking when he came on against them though, shutting them completely out of the game almost single handedly.

Commenter

Regularchap

Location

Sydney

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 8:59AM

The Tahs' can't win this one, unless they do what they did last week~kick the points, the Hurricanes on their day, will beat any team, the Waratahs haven't got that ability and the locals on their home track will be very hard to beat.

The kick butt attitude of any Kiwi Franchise is principally borne out of the blowbag attitude of the Aussie sides mainly by rugby columnist scribes who enjoy espousing their teams as virtual winners against any side and on any paddock, the Kiwis' and South Africans don't do that (pump their teams up), as the Australians do, and that's why the Aussies are always up against it in most cases come game time against either of the above named!~ all they want to do is show them how it should be done, and by that I don't mean winning by penalties a la' last week.

Commenter

kirky

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 9:26AM

@ kirky

According to you and @ heading off I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.If the Tahs beat the mighty...hang-on that's the Crusaders....if the Tahs beat the all-conquering Canes then you're both in doo-doo, eh ? If the Tahs lose....so what ?

Further @ kirky, your information pipeline from Sth. African rugby (...and yes NZ as obviously) on Aussie media behaviour and game form is to be applauded. I mean, it's week after week of studious comment from you (here and there) instructing us weak 'pumped-up' Aussies on how to go about our game. Geez... thanks....what a wonderful job you're doing and going mainly unrecognised !Have you ever thought of putting that enormous talent of yours to say....helping NZ or SA with their Rugby ? Go on...not many of your type or talent around anymore !

Commenter

Machooka

Location

inner west sydney

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 1:54PM

@kirky I don't get this, "rugby columnist scribes who enjoy espousing their teams as virtual winners against any side and on any paddock.....". People like Paul Cully, Georgina Robinson and others at this newspaper, I think, are quite diplomatic and don't build up the Waratahs. So, not sure what you're on about pal. You and @headed off work well in tandem with your hatred for the Waratahs, both of you would make a formidable tag wrestling team with your nastiness, the bad guys of course.

Commenter

Old Hickory

Location

Maroubra

Date and time

April 05, 2013, 2:16PM

@ kirky Any Team on their day can beat any team. Dont forget the Aussies are up in NZ thus far (touch wood) after getting written off by NZ and SA columnist pre season, so yeah Aussie columnists rate Aussie teams and why shouldnt they, dont forget Aussies dont have the luxury of a professional third tier of rugby and with half our schoolboy stars going to league one could say we have always been up against it. Winning by pentalities is no cope out as if the ball wasnt being slowed or inrfinged upon at the ruck who knows they may of won by a try so its a moot point to winge about teams winning by penatlies. I think two teams in the top 4 shows we Aussies are up for it and i might add agaisnt all odds too.

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